Saturday, March 26, 2011

Saturday encore ~ You know you might be a redneck when you drive down the highway with one of these in your truck

The post below appeared originally last March. I've truly enjoyed my chickens (and their eggs) over the past year, and I plan to add another pair of hens to my family this weekend. I haven't decided on names for the new girls yet, and your suggestions would be most welcome!

Imagine you're driving down the highway and come upon this.
Lord have mercy, is that what I think it is?
An outhouse with a screened-in porch and handicap rails?

No, silly! It's a chicken tractor! And soon to be the best little hen house in New Mexico.
I've been wanting to have a few laying hens for years but have postponed their acquisition for fear of having to build an entire chicken wing onto the barn to keep them safe. What with the coyotes and mountain lions lying in wait, a hen's odds of surviving at the 7MSN would be dismal.

Enter this chicken tractor I discovered on craigslist. It's big enough for a couple of hens and tall enough for me to stand up in.

And check out all these cool features!



I can move my mobile hen house every couple of days so that the hens have fresh foliage to forage and a new batch of bugs to nibble, and so that I don't have to clean out the chicken poop fertilizer.

And look! There's even a drop-down door off the back for easy egg collection.

There's painting and decorating and accessorizing to be done, so I'm still several weeks away from bringing home the girls. I will try to do right by them and provide eggs-actly what they need to be happy hens.

15 comments:

  1. Estella from Co.3/26/11, 4:56 AM

    Very nice...Some local made it? Job well done. Looking forward to seeing it ALL finished. They'll be SOME LUCKY girls. As for names Hmmmm I guess a lot will depend on their personality. I'm sure you'll get lots of suggestions when the time comes. As usual lots of Hugs and Kisses to the critters.

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  2. Estella from Co.3/26/11, 5:02 AM

    O.K. a little slow this morning it's 5:00...will have to go back and check out the girls home and SEE the finished homestead. Haven't had my cup of coffee yet. Anyway have a great day. :)

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  3. Too cool! That is by far the best chicken tractor I've ever seen. I want one, even though I haven't had chickens in 15 years!

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  4. Eggciting chicken news! Since I can't have chickens, I suggest you name yours after my two grandmothers, Sophie (Sophia) and Ernestine, or perhaps after Ernestine's sisters, Edith and Hazel. Can you tell those ladies were born in the late 1800s, or WHAT!

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  5. Now someone had their thinking cap on when they built this house!

    Di

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  6. OH my!! Has it been a year since the 7MSN became a "chicken ranch" ;-)
    signed
    Theresa in Alberta
    P.S. How are the girls doing?

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  7. Oh I want!
    I'm trying to talk the husband into a few hens.
    ..and I wouldn't bat an eyelash seeing that in the back of a truck. I'm in WV. That would be the least odd thing I see! :)

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  8. Awesome!!and on wheels!! Nothing like fresh hen eggs! Eggselent!hehe I'll be back when I have more time to read some stories on your donkeys too! Happy Week-end! I'll be looking for those 2 new hens! How about Nelle and Garnet?!! Nell is my aunt and Garnet is my grandma who have both passed on! I'd have to see them to really get a sense of their names!though.

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  9. This is the weekend! I'm excited - can't wait to see who you bring home.
    Now regarding names, I only have one right now. I think you need a Patsy (I'm a big fan of Patsy Cline..)
    :-)

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  10. I like the names Natasha and Emily for the new chickens. I'll put that in the hat for the name pull. If by chance you get a rooster in the mix well then his name could be Francois.
    I buy fresh eggs from the local farm. They cost 3.00 a dozen. I love them. They taste better and add such a nice flavor to my baking.
    Best always, Sandra

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  11. Are you going to stick with the Lonesome Dove names? If so, one definitely should be Maggie (Newt's mom, Call's mistress). One of my favorite characters is Inez from Comanche Moon. She's the fiery wife of someone important . . . mayor? captain? . . . who has an affair with Jake Spoon. Other women characters are Elmira and Pearl. Or you could go with Augusta.

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  12. Miss Kitty and Calamity would fit in with the other critters.. which I love to visit with every day.

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  13. Yay! New hens...my vote...Pearl and Nellie. :)

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  14. Way too cool !! Love it-enjoy your fresh eggs-there's nothing better!!

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  15. Betsey and Sally were Clara's girls, to that would be a nice way to keep the Lonesome Dove theme going. If you "accidentally" came home with 3, I could see Dolly, Emmylou and Linda.

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